A mock electionTHE mock election conducted by WCBM radio...

UP and DOWN with Baltimore

September 14, 1990|By Mike Bowler

A mock election

THE mock election conducted by WCBM radio at the State Fair was, of course, totally unscientific. But that was its beauty. The station could pit William Donald Schaefer against all potential candidates, Republican or Democrat -- he still won easily. It could renew old elections such as Clarence "Du" Burns vs. Kurt Schmoke for Baltimore mayor -- Schmoke again won by a thick eyelash. And it could present ballot questions.

Some of the highlights: By a three-to-one margin, State Fair "voters" disapproved using tax money to build a football stadium. By 54 percent to 24 percent, they favored legislation guaranteeing a woman's right to an abortion. By a margin of more than two to one, they said they would ban automatic rifles in Maryland. By 51 percent to 45 percent, they were against a constitutional amendment to prohibit flag burning.

And if the 3,027 votes cast in this "election" mean anything, Baltimore County Executive Dennis Rasmussen is in serious trouble against Republican Roger B. Hayden, "none of the above" is the favorite for Harford county executive and Louis L. Goldstein will bless us all real good for another four years.

Sound familiar?

DOES this sound familiar?

Venerable major league baseball stadium doesn't have enough parking and luxury skyboxes to please owner of team. Signs are everywhere that owner (who lives in the suburbs) will move the team if he can get someone or some state or municipality to build a new stadium. For months, rumors circulate about new stadium sites. Spokesman for team says: "We would like to stay in --------, but only if it makes sense and is the location which will best accommodate the majority of our fans." Some of those fans have organized and come up with proposals to renovate the existing stadium, where, they say, "baseball belongs."

SOME MONTHS ago, Other Voices complained that a single sentence on the label of the new National Boh beer can contained a grammatical and a spelling error. This being the city that reads, and Boh being our local beer, we thought it disgraceful that No. 14 in the National "Land of Pleasant Living" series should be so spoiled.

We're happy to report that the error is corrected. The old label read, "Like Mr. Boh says, 'We're proud to say its brewed on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.'" The new label: "As Mr. Boh says, 'We're proud to say it's brewed on the shores . . .'"

Thanks, Mr. Boh.

Civics lesson

Why do we close schools during elections? Why not keep them open, take the kids on field trips to auditoriums,caferias and gyms for a lesson in civics? Set up a voting machine and let kids practice? On Tuesday in Baltimore, they could have seen their parents not voting. Maybe some of them would have gone home and urged their parents to behave as though this democracy means something.